When looking to gain muscle mass one of the most important factors that skinny guys and girls need to get right is following a solid diet and nutrition plan. In fact, most “skinny hardgainers” struggle to build muscle for that very fact…they just don't get their eating habits right, or else they just don't feel it's important enough to worry about.

Let me tell you that following a quality hardgainer diet plan is absolutely essential for building muscle…without it your muscles will crave the fuel they need to repair and grow.

Unfortunately, knowing what to eat and how to plan your meals causes many folks a LOT of hassle and frustration. So here I'm going to show you 5 top muscle building foods that you should include in your hardgainer diet and get you on the road to success.

5 Muscle Building Foods For A Hardgainer Diet

1. Oatmeal

Oatmeal really is a superfood and a fantastic muscle builder that should be an integral part of any hardgainer diet plan. A complex carbohydrate, oatmeal's slow-release energy will keep your metabolic rate level and prevent your blood sugar levels changing dramatically. It's a great way to start the day…and you can add a scoop of protein powder to it to give yourself some extra protein and calories.

2. Eggs

Another bodybuilder favourite, eggs (predominantly the egg white) are a fantastic source of natural protein and animo acids that are easily absorbed by the body. For this reason, a number of protein powders are based on egg proteins. Average amount of protein per egg is anywhere between 6-10 grams depending on the size.

Avoiding eating too many egg yolks as this is where the saturated fat content lies and can increase your cholesterol.

3. Nuts and Nut Butters

Nuts sometimes get a bad rep among the media and general public because of their “high fat” content. However, as a skinny hardgainer you should look to include them as a part of your hardgainer diet plan, since they are around 20% protein and a great source of carbs and fats, making them great energy boosters, and easy pre or post-workout snacks.

4. Tuna

A firm favourite on any muscle building menu, tuna is great source of protein as well as essential fatty acids (EFAs), primarily Omega 3. This will ensure great overall health as well as aid your body's ability to repair and grow muscle.

5. Lean Red Meat

White meats like chicken and turkey tend to feature heavily on most bodybuilding diets, but you should also include lean read meats like beef steaks and venison. While red meats have a higher fat content than white meat, some studies have actually shown them to be better than white meats for gaining mass.

Either way, a great big juicy steak is a tasty addition to any hardgainer diet plan.

Take a look at my free sample hardgainer diet where I break down each meal to show you how to get 4,500 calories per day ==> Hardgainer Diet

If you're really serious about eating right for muscle mass, but are concerned about the hassle that so much meal planning is going to cause you, then why not check out this popular program that provides 84 days worth of complete meal plans, showing you what to eat, when to eat it…and even gives you a shopping list too ==> http://www.gainmusclemass.net/vince-delmonte-workout-review.html

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Quick reminder – it’s GNC Goldcard Week, now through October 7. Get your game on here.

I often get asked this question — how many meals a day should I eat if I’m a hardgainer?

The answer is an emphatic, “As many as you can, but no less than 5!”

Why? The answer really lies in keeping your muscles bathed in amino acids, the building blocks of proteins and of muscle.

It’s far better to take in 40 grams of protein per meal, 5 times per day, than 3 meals of 70 grams. It’s hard to say, without a lot of testing, how much protein any given individual can digest and assimilate in a single feeding, but I’d error on the low side (20-50) rather than on the high side (50+).

Why? It’s expensive and puts a greater strain on your kidneys.

I often tell people to “graze.” Eat as often as a horse (or cow), which means all day long. Act like you’re in the hospital on a feeding tube, getting a constant drip of nourishment, only with eating, you’re taking in food you like, such as meats of all kind, poultry, fish, nuts, bread, milk, eggs, and potatoes and pastas. All the good stuff!

Gaining weight is hard work! It takes concerted effort to maximize your eating, and you may feel like you’re going to explode. It’s also hard to keep from getting bored with eating the same foods.

This is why I recommend the following practice:

Every 4th day, forget about food. Don’t try to eat 6 or 8 times a day. Eat what you want, when you want, and don’t take any supplements. Let your body detox, let your mind go free.

You don’t know how effective this method is, until you try it.

Here are some articles that mention eating frequency for hardgainers:

• How Many Times Per Day Should A Hardgainer Eat?
• How Many Times Per Day Should A Hardgainer Eat ? | Build Muscle Tone
• Hardgainer Read This
• How Many Times Per Day Should A Hardgainer Eat ?
• How Many Meals A Day Should A Hardgainer Eat?
• How Many Times Per Day Should A Hardgainer Eat?

Obviously, this is a well-covered topic!

I just posted a page about creating a calorie surplus — Read about it here —

Calorie Supplementation: The Answer for Hardgainers

Fellow hardgainers, you and I both know that you’ve tried every food supplement, powder, pill, capsule, and liquid on the planet that claims to build muscle and pack on the pounds.

I know I have. You know what? Most of them don’t work. I mean, they work on mesomorphs, guys who can put on a pound of solid muscle just by doing a set of chins and eating a steak.

But for us, it’s different. We have very fast metabolisms, and in many cases, we’re built like marathon runners rather than Mixed Martial Artists.

We choke down hundreds — if not thousands — of dollars’s worth of weight-gain powders every year. Mostly to no avail.

I just got a hold of a book called Homemade Supplement Secrets. It shows you the supplements that work and that don’t work for putting muscle on hardgainers. Plus, it shows you how to make the supplements that DO work, right in your own home using readily-available ingredients!

All at a fraction of the store-bought price. How sweet is that?

Read my full review of Homemade Supplement Secrets here.